My Working Photography Gear
A practical reference, not a buyers guide.
This page lists the photography gear I currently use for assignments, personal work, and teaching. It’s shared as a reference for readers who ask what I’m using in my work, videos, and workshops — not as a recommendation that better gear leads to better photographs.
The equipment here has been chosen for reliability, familiarity, and long-term use in real working conditions. I update the list occasionally as my needs change.
EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY TOOLS
For street, documentary, and editorial work, I rely on gear that’s reliable, unobtrusive, and adaptable across a range of lighting and environments. Most of these choices come from years of working in the field and a preference for simplicity when situations get complex.
Cameras
Leica M11 – I waited until prices settled and recently pulled the trigger on this one. I use this is my main editorial assignment camera, was just in Cambodia on assignment for the Smithsonian and I absolutely loved the results with this camera.
Leica SL2-S – A versatile professional tool. Battery life and autofocus are average, but the build quality and compatibility with M lenses make it indispensable. I use this as my back-up to my M on assignments where I need autofocus.
Ricoh GR IIIx – I sold it, missed it, and bought it again. Still the best truly pocketable camera available. I use it as my around the house camera and a pull here in case of emergency to my M11 when I want to travel light.
Lenses
Leica 35mm Summilux ASPH – My go-to lens. Compact, fast, and sharp, especially wide open.
Leica 50mm Summilux ASPH V2 – Added for its closer focusing ability, ideal for portraits and details. (Top 10 List)
Voigtländer 75mm f/1.5 Nokton – Lightweight, sharp, and affordable. A good option when you want to save money or need a less-used focal length.
Leica 100mm R-Series Macro APO f/2.8 – Purchased at Leica Classics in Wetzlar. Excellent for close-up portraits and travel details. Used on the SL2-S with an R-to-L adapter.
Leica 180mm R-Series Lens - It’s very rare that I need a lens this long, but since my ongoing personal projects is photographing wildlife stories, I have it just in case.
Bags and Straps
Wotancraft 3.5L – Lightweight and discreet for street work.
Wotancraft Lightning Rider Leather Sling 12L – My favorite everyday bag. Works well with or without a camera.
Wotancraft Pilot Series 10L – My most-used bag. Fits a compact editorial kit with modular organization. (Top 10 List)
Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 - This is my fancy smancy camera bag for when I’m shooting in safer areas and in a controlled environment. Build quality is top-notch, and I love the updated luggage pass on this version. I have the khaki with dark chocolate leather and it’s a classic.
Wotancraft Pilot Series Backpack – Used for extended photo and video assignments.
Wotancraft Parashooter Camera Strap – Clean, practical design, especially with Peak Design quick releases.
Shimoda Carry-On Roller – Doctor-style opening makes working out of the bag easy. Ideal for larger kits. Use code MOTT10 for 10% off. (Top 10 List)
Billingham TEN-16 – A compact, elegant bag I use with the Ricoh.
Think Tank Production Manager Bags – Our go-to for transporting lighting and larger production gear.
Pelican 1535 Air Carry-On Case – Extremely durable and adjustable. The Air version is lighter for carry-on travel.
COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO TOOLS
For commercial work — hotels, lifestyle, and hybrid photo/video — reliability and flexibility matter most. These tools allow us to adapt quickly on set and deliver consistent results under pressure.
Cameras
Sony A1 – Our primary stills camera for commercial work. Reliable, versatile, and excellent files. Leica isn’t practical for multi-crew production environments.
Sony A7RV – Our B-camera for stills. Excellent value on the used market.
Sony A7 IV – Our backup and utility camera for stills, video, and time-lapse.
Sony FX3 – Our main video camera for hotel films, factory shoots, and documentaries.
Lenses
Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN – Used when clients request ultra-wide perspectives.
Sony 20mm f/1.8 G – Clean wides with minimal distortion, great for interiors.
Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM – A favorite for large spaces and establishing shots.
Sony 50mm f1.4 GM - Our go to nifty fifty.
Sony 85mm f1.4 GM - When we need our subjects to pop or we want to hide a busy background, we get a ton of use out of this lens.
Sony 28-70mm f2 GM – An f2 all the way through, this lens is insanely versatile, just a beast.
Sigma 70–200mm f/2.8 – Used occasionally when longer reach is needed.
Lighting and Video Support
Aputure Infinibars (1-foot) – Small, wireless, and extremely versatile for accent lighting. (Top 10 List)
Aputure 300W - A do it all LED light that we use for both video and photography shoots.
Nanlite FC-500B – Acts as our artificial sun when needed. Heavy, affordable, and powerful. (Top 10 List)
Atomos monitors and recorders – Used for monitoring and higher-quality recording.
DJI wireless transmitter – A clean alternative to tethered shooting for client viewing.
DJI Ronin gimbal – Paired with the FX3 for stabilized video work.
DJI Osmo Action 6 – Compact, tough, and reliable.
YouTube Gear
Leica SL2-S – B-roll and product shots
Panasonic Lumix S5 IIX – Primary YouTube camera
Panasonic 24mm f/1.4 - This sits on my S5 IIX for filming my episodes, wide, fast, sharp, and affordable.
SLIK Creator’s Studio Kit – Desk-mounted filming setup. (Top 10 List)
Shure SM7DB microphone - Industry standard with a built in pre-amp.
DJI Pocket Osmo 3 - Compact and powerful vlogging camera, one of my favorite purchases of all time. (Top 10 List)
DJI wireless mic system - Great quality and user-friendly
Atomos Shinobi 7-inch monitor - I use this mainly as an off-camera monitor to check focus and make sure everything is running how it should be.
Software, Hardware, and Apps
Canva – Design and thumbnails (Top 10 List)
Dropbox – Archive management and client delivery
DaVinci Resolve – Video editing
Squarespace – Websites and e-commerce
Photo Mechanic – Image culling and ingest
MacBook Pro M4 – I maxed this out and now I use this as my travel laptop and paired with a Mac Studio Display as my desktop.
Apple Studio Display - Wildly overpriced but the build quality and ease of use was worth it for me.
CalDigit Thunderbolt Dock - The ideal addition for your iMac that provides more ports, especially in front. It gives you great flexibility for connecting devices, which is important since I run my entire YouTube setup on my desktop.
Notion – Project and task management
Apple Reminders - Apple's task manager app keeps improving. I use it for shared lists, to-do lists, and yearly goals. I love how simple it is and how easily it works with other Apple apps.
Airalo eSIM – I learned about this company from someone on YouTube, and I think they're great. If you travel often and have a phone with an eSIM, you can buy a package via the app for most countries. There's no need to wait in long airport lines or deal with getting a local SIM card in every country you visit. If you sign up, please use this code.JUSTIN9022
Accessories
Apple AirTags - I put these everyone, my check in luggage, carry-on, wallet, passport wallet, on my bike, etc.
ProGrade memory cards and readers - Reliable storage solutions, I use their memory cards and card readers.
Samsung T7 portable SSDs - I had two clients specifically ask not to use SanDisk drives anymore so I switched to these, affordable, big name brand, and so far so good.
Anker MagGo 3-in-1 charger - f you live in the Apple ecosystem like I do this is a perfect travel solution to reduce space, weight, and clutter and still be able to charge your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch. (TOP 10 LIST)
Anker Laptop PowerBank - I don’t typically get too excited about power banks but thing is perfect, built in cables, great screen, and plenty of power.
Clothing, Luggage, and Lifestyle
Beton Cire docker hats (TOP 10 LIST)
Billingham Bags - I have their entire leisure bag collection including their weekender, capule-1 pouch, and laptop bag, absolutely love them for their style and durability.
Uniqlo Airism shirts - For larger dudes like me, structured shirts are our friend and lightweight is a must for a photographer living in Vietnam.
Adidas Stan Smith sneakers - Timeless classic that go with everything and can dress up or dress down.
Porter Yoshida bags - Expensive and sometimes hard to find, but this Japanese brand does some of the best EDC bags out there. Check out their nylon tanker series.
Rimowa aluminum luggage - I have their classic check in and carry on bag roller bags, they are a lifetime investment for frequent travelers.
Monos luggage - If you can’t justify the cost of a Rimowa, save money and go with something from the Monos collection that suits your needs.
Black Ember tote - Minimalistic and durable carry on tote with plenty of well thought out functionality without looking too techie.
AER bags
Arc’teryx Beta SL rain jacket - A bit of a splurge purchase coming in at $700 but I figured when it comes to inclement weather and traveling around the world it’s not a bad idea to have the best. Gore-tex, pit vents, and a larger enough good that I can wear it over my motorcycle helmet. TOP 10 LIST)
Qwstion bags - Sustainable, stylish everyday bags, love their Bananatex vegan fabric.
Rewards Programs
AMEX Platinum (personal and business) - High yearly fee at $800 but if you use it right the benefits like the Uber and travel credit pay for itself.
Marriott Bonvoy - Most hotel travel programs are so clunky and make it hard for you to earn and use your points. Bonvoy is the rewards program that other hotels should model themselves after. I couple this with a Chase Bonvoy credit card for maximum points. (Top 10 List)
Final note
Some links on this page are affiliate links. They help support the site and my YouTube channel and don’t influence what I use or recommend.